tertawa

Indonesian

FWOTD – 7 December 2025

Etymology

Inherited from Malay tertawa, from Classical Malay tertawa. By surface analysis, ter- +‎ tawa.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /tərˈtawa/ [t̪ərˈt̪a.wa]
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -awa
  • Syllabification: ter‧ta‧wa

Verb

têrtawa

  1. to laugh
    Synonym: ketawa
    • 2015 May 4, “Mengapa kita tertawa secara tidak pantas?”, in BBC[1], archived from the original on 23 February 2016:
      Kita sering kali menemukan diri kita tertawa pada saat-saat yang paling aneh.
      We often find ourselves laughing at the most bizarre moments.
    • 2015 May 4, “Mengapa kita tertawa secara tidak pantas?”, in BBC[2], archived from the original on 23 February 2016:
      Ketika kita tertawa bersama orang lain, Anda menunjukkan bahwa Anda menyukai mereka, Anda setuju dengan mereka, atau Anda berada dalam satu kelompok yang sama dengan mereka.
      When we laugh with other people, you show that you like them, you agree with them, or you are in the same group as them.

Further reading

Malay

Pronunciation

  • (Baku) IPA(key): /tərˈtawa/ [t̪ərˈt̪a.wa]
  • Hyphenation: ter‧ta‧wa

Verb

tertawa

  1. to laugh
    Synonym: ketawa

Descendants

  • > Indonesian: tertawa (inherited)